'F' Is for 'Fennel'

February 14, 2008

It may look like celery, taste like licorice and sound like "Pinocchio," but the best thing about fennel is that it's not like anything else. Just one whiff will verify this. Because I have a passion for finocchio as the Italians call it, I use it frequently, especially in winter months when the vegetable pickings are slim at best.

You can imagine my delight to find a wonderful article titled "How Aromatic Fennel Escaped the Culinary Ghetto" (Daily Forward, Jan. 28, 2000) by Matthew Goodman, in which he says that "fennel is highly prized in the Mediterranean countries, especially in Italy, but this was not always the case. For centuries, it was neglected and disdained as a 'Jewish food.'

"Having been brought to Italy by Jewish traders from the Middle East, this pale green, crisp vegetable for centuries was eaten only by the Jews. It, like eggplant, was a ghetto vegetable and remained that way until the middle of the 19th century when it made its way into wider Italian society."

He goes on to say that fennel dishes did not survive the Atlantic crossings during the periods of immigration to the United States, and that Americans -- Jewish and otherwise -- never really became enamored of its distinctive taste. Even Italian restaurants seem to have a hard time keeping it on their menus.

This is truly a pity since it's high in protein, low in fat and can be prepared as a slowly cooked gratin, raw in salads, as part of a stew and everything in between. And as if those virtues were not enough, fennel -- sometimes called the "fish herb" -- has the effect of breaking down fats and aiding digestion.